District Teacher of the Year (DTOY): Posts from the Rhode Island District Teachers of the Year, past and present, who share about instructional successes and challenges they encounter in Rhode Island classrooms.

Equitable Access to Excellent Educators: Rhode Island educators and RIDE staff explore factors and perspectives on the importance of ensuring that all students are taught by high quality educators.

Leadership: Reflections and insights from RIDE’s Leadership Fellow and other district and school leaders on the challenges and opportunities of being a school leader.

Rhode Island Science Education (R.I.S.E.): A communication blog to update stakeholders in education and in the community on important developments, events and accomplishments in science education in Rhode Island.

Student Voice: Because student voice is an essential component of our discussion on education, RIDE will post essays written by students from around Rhode Island.

Every student in Rhode Island is important, and education — the preparation and advancement of this diversity of student voices — is the civil rights work of our time. We do this for the sake of our children and their families, as well as our state economy and nation.

But a recent report from The Annie E. Casey Foundation reminded us that not all voices are being heard. Rhode Island has the largest Hispanic/Latino achievement gap in the nation.

Too many students cannot read well by third grade, or understand fractions by middle school, or are forced to pay college prices for remedial learning that should have happened in high school, or are left behind by a changing economy.

The work of education begins with teacher access to high-quality, culturally-relevant and engaging curriculum that reflects the lived experiences of our students. This is not to constrain or script our teachers, but rather to make sure they have the best tools available when they make learning standards come alive in their classroom.

As an educator, I view the news from a classroom perspective. When a headline breaks, I think about the relevance it has for our teachers and students. When a historic event takes place, I wonder about the best way to teach the subject. I think many educators feel the same way. We see something happening in the world, and we immediately relate it back to our schools and our students.

The Commissioner's essay on the future of public education in Rhode Island was posted by the Rhode Island Foundation as part of its online blog "This is What's Next". The original post can be found here.